Henin-Hardenne wins French Open marathon
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-31 00:05

Maria Sharapova won in 10 minutes Monday at the French Open. Justine Henin-Hardenne took a lot longer.

Henin-Hardenne played for 3 hours, 15 minutes, overcoming two match points in the fourth round to beat US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-5.

``It was a bit of a miracle,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ``I was seeing her very nervous. She was afraid to win the match. That was very clear. When you can see that in the eyes of your opponent, that is very good for myself.''

The Belgian's opponent in the quarterfinals Tuesday will be second-seeded Sharapova, who swept the final three games to complete a match suspended overnight because of rain. She beat Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-2, 6-3.

Both 2004 men's finalists were eliminated. Defending champion Gaston Gaudio blew a 4-0 lead in the last set and lost to No. 20 David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-4.

``I got too nervous, I guess, and after that I couldn't do anything,'' Gaudio said. ``Always to lose is disappointing. Losing like this is even worse.''

Eighth-seeded Guillermo Coria, beaten by Gaudio in last year's final, lost to No. 12 Nikolay Davydenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating No. 23 Sebastien Grosjean of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

In a match suspended Sunday night in the third set, Nadal finished with 35 winners and just 27 unforced errors. The 18-year-old Spaniard extended his winning streak to 21 matches, all on clay, and will next face Ferrer.

Henin-Hardenne occasionally grimaced from a back injury that has bothered her for weeks, but she still rallied past sixth-seeded Kuznetsova, sweeping the final four games and the last seven points.

Kuznetsova conceded that nerves got the best of her.

``She didn't win it. I lost,'' the Russian said. ``The moment I had to do something, I didn't do anything. ...

``It's a game. It's the most important thing to you. The harder you want it, then you want it so much, the more nerves you get.''

The 10th-seeded Henin-Hardenne won her third three-set match in four rounds. The 2003 Roland Garros champion extended her winning streak to 21 matches, all on clay, and improved to 24-1 since returning in March from a seven-month layoff because of a blood virus and knee injury.

Serving at 3-5 in the final set, Henin-Hardenne struggled to start her comeback. She blew an overhead, nearly whiffed on a forehand and faced two match points _ yet still won the game.

Kuznetsova pushed a forehand wide on the first match point, and on the second she put a tentative backhand in the net. Encouraged to be hanging on, Henin-Hardenne tapped her chest with a fist, then hit a service winner to close out the pivotal game.

``I stayed really positive and I never stopped fighting,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ``This kind of win makes me very, very happy.''

Joining her in the final eight will be three teenagers, including No. 29 Ana Ivanovic. The 17-year-old Serb beat No. 22 Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 and will next play No. 7 Nadia Petrova.

Ninth-seeded Guillermo Canas advanced to the men's quarterfinals when No. 28 Nicolas Kiefer withdrew hours before their match because of a sore neck.

The fifth-seeded Gaudio busted his racket in anger while losing a third-set tiebreaker, but the worst was yet to come. Ferrer, who came to Roland Garros with a career Grand Slam record of 5-9, won the final six games.

``The end was a bit strange,'' Ferrer said. ``That's what tennis is all about. Anything can happen.''

Sharapova's match was halted Sunday night because of drizzle with the second set 3-3 and resumed on a 16-degree C (60-degree F) afternoon. She needed 17 points to complete the win, with Llagostera Vives shanking a backhand on match point.

``It's never easy coming back,'' Sharapova said. ``I guess it was good just to have a good night's sleep.''

Sharapova celebrated her berth in the quarterfinals by smiling and blowing kisses to the sparse crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 18-year-old Wimbledon champion struggled with her serve throughout the match but improved to 31-5 this year.

Sharapova has nine career titles and seeks a breakthrough on clay. She has yet to reach a final on the surface, but the Russian likes her chances at Roland Garros.

``I never thought I needed to prove anything to anyone,'' Sharapova said. ``I'm getting better and better. If people underestimate me on clay, then they'll be surprised.''

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